Working at Height Procedure template

2. When this procedure applies

• Any use of ladders, stepladders, kick stools, podiums, towers or mobile elevating work platforms.
• Work on or near fragile surfaces: [roof lights, fibre cement roofs — list yours].
• Work near open edges, openings, stairwells, excavations, or loading areas: [mezzanine, cellar drop, vehicle beds, racking].
• Reaching stock or equipment above shoulder height where climbing is involved.
• Never improvise access — chairs, pallets, crates and shelving are not work platforms, under any time pressure.

3. Roles and responsibilities

• Procedure owner ([name/role]): plans and authorises work at height, keeps the equipment register, and owns the rescue arrangements.
• Competent persons ([names/roles]): trained for the equipment they use; only they carry out work at height tasks.
• Managers and supervisors: check the plan exists before the task starts and stop any improvised access on sight.
• All staff: report defective equipment, damaged flooring or missing edge protection to [role] immediately.

4. Plan the work: avoid, prevent, minimise

• Avoid: do the work from the ground where reasonably practicable — extendable tools, lowering stock storage, assembling at ground level before installing.
• Prevent: where height can't be avoided, use equipment that stops a fall happening — guardrails, a podium or tower, a properly fenced platform.
• Minimise: where some fall risk remains, reduce the distance and consequences — and treat personal fall-arrest as the last resort, never the default.
• Any task using fall-arrest equipment needs a rescue plan agreed before work starts — a person suspended in a harness needs rescuing quickly, and 999 is not a rescue plan on its own.

5. Before you start

1. 1Confirm the task is covered by a current risk assessment and this procedure; if not, stop and speak to [role].
2. 2For outdoor work, check the weather — postpone in [wind/rain/ice conditions per your assessment].
3. 3Select the equipment named in the plan; do not substitute whatever is nearest.
4. 4Carry out a pre-use check of the equipment (see next sections) and reject anything defective.
5. 5Set an exclusion zone below the work area and protect it with [cones/barriers/a colleague].
6. 6Confirm someone knows the work is happening — work at height is never done alone unless the assessment explicitly allows it.

6. Ladder and stepladder rules

1. 1Check before use: stiles not bent or split, rungs sound, feet present and gripping, locking mechanisms working.
2. 2Stand the ladder on firm, level, dry ground — never on boxes, pallets or uneven surfaces.
3. 3Set leaning ladders at the angle in HSE guidance (about one unit out for every four up) and secure or foot them per your assessment.
4. 4Maintain three points of contact, and keep your belt buckle between the stiles — move the ladder rather than overreach.
5. 5Carry tools in a belt or holster so both hands are free for climbing.
6. 6Use ladders only for low-risk, short-duration work — if the task runs long ([HSE guidance uses around 30 minutes as a rule of thumb]) or needs force or both hands, choose a podium, tower or platform instead.

7. Equipment inspection and maintenance

• All work-at-height equipment is listed in a register at [location]: [ladders, stepladders, podiums, towers, harnesses — list yours], each with an ID.
• Pre-use checks by the user, every use — no check, no climb.
• Recorded inspections by [competent person/role] at [frequency — set from manufacturer instructions and current HSE guidance for each equipment type].
• Defective equipment is tagged, removed from use immediately, and repaired or destroyed — never left where a busy colleague might grab it.
• Hired or borrowed equipment is checked and added to the register before first use.

8. If something goes wrong

1. 1Stop the task and make the area safe.
2. 2If someone has fallen, call 999 and do not move them unless they are in immediate danger.
3. 3If someone is suspended in a harness, start the rescue plan immediately and call 999 — suspension itself is a medical emergency.
4. 4Report every fall, dropped object or near miss through our accident and incident reporting procedure the same shift.
5. 5Do not resume the task until the assessment and plan have been reviewed by [role].

9. Records and review

The equipment register, inspection records, training records and task plans are kept in [system/location] and retained for [period]. This procedure is reviewed [frequency, e.g. annually], after any fall or near miss, and when equipment, premises or tasks change. Owner: [name/role]. Next review due: [date].